Tougher immigration enforcement under the Trump administration has led to a sharp rise in voluntary departures among undocumented immigrants.
According to the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) under the Department of Justice, immigration judges approved 15,241 voluntary departure cases in the 12 months ending Sept. 30, allowing undocumented immigrants to leave the country without formal deportation proceedings. The figure marks a 76% increase from 8,663 cases the previous year.
Experts say the surge reflects growing psychological and health pressures caused by bond denials and prolonged detention. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has enforced a blanket opposition to bond for all detained undocumented immigrants since July, leaving many unable to secure release.
The Los Angeles Times on Oct. 13 reported the case of Ramón Rodríguez Vázquez (62) as a representative example. A farmworker in Washington state for 16 years, Rodríguez was detained in February during an ICE operation targeting another person. Denied bond, he remained in custody for months, where his high blood pressure worsened after failing to receive prescribed medication regularly. Unable to care for his granddaughter with a heart condition, Rodríguez eventually requested voluntary departure. The immigration judge approved the request, and he returned to Mexico without a deportation record.
Human rights groups said immigrants are effectively pressured to abandon their legal rights and leave, pointing to the growing number of cases like Rodríguez’s as evidence of coercive enforcement.
